Avengers: Endgame is uniquely extraordinary and we as a movie going collective need to take a moment to appreciate its magnitude and seismic effect on popular culture. With its epic conclusion, it can now firmly be hailed from the highest peaks that this was a cinematic storytelling venture that will be studied for a century to come, and not simply in cinephile circles. What Marvel has done with their comic book treasure trove is a lesson in managing scope, rich character development that triumphantly tethers these superheroes’ souls with our own in a way that has never remotely been achieved before.
As the events of Avengers: Infinity War sunk in, legions of movie fans of the series—both passive and obsessively engaged—were gobsmacked to the point where support groups could have been set up to manage the mental anguish of an antagonist snapping his fingers. Big, bad ole Thanos (Josh Brolin) had achieved his goal … wiping out half the universe’s population. Lucky for us, a visionary aspiring hero collector sought to “bring together a group of remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could.”
Thing is, those heroes did hook up and it wasn’t enough. Despite all their best efforts and infinitely aspirational good intentions, trillions of beings ceased to be—including many of our favorite day savers. How those who were left behind would react, respond and rise to embody their name (after all, they are The Avengers) would be the crux of the “end” of Endgame. Since Infinity War faded from memory (as much as something that emotionally charged could), we postulated the countless ways that this story could proceed where all would be pleased at the least and pumping our fist in the air in revenge soaked joy at the most.
Lucky for the global following, that could not be more vested in a fictional franchise if they tried, we have Anthony and Joe Russo at the helm of the S.S. Avengers. Not only do they bring us into port triumphantly, but they do so by giving every hero (and there are a lot!) a series of richly layered character arc moments that befit their past while simultaneously enhancing their legacy. When the Russo brothers first took over the Marvel Cinematic Universe, i.e. when they helmed Captain America: The Winter Soldier, longtime appreciators of both the comic books and their silver screen companions saw a hint of brilliance, insight and innate storytelling gifts that was firmly focused on entertaining audiences to the highest degree while delivering tales that engrossed our minds while fanning the flames of our hearts.
It’s an astonishing and breathtaking task. All the while the filmmaking siblings were orchestrating the Captain America landscape, they had to keep one eye on their Avengers responsibilities (they were tapped to take over for Joss Whedon after he delivered Avengers: Age of Ultron) and had countless individual franchises to keep their fingers on their respective pulses. From Black Panther (an Oscar winner no less), Ant-Man, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Doctor Strange, Thor: Ragnarok, Ant-Man and the Wasp and Captain Marvel. That’s a whole lot of big-time balls in the air. To see how they incorporated those worlds into their Avengers: Infinity War and now Avengers: Endgame may be one of the most astounding of cinematic feats ever undertaken.
This review is completely spoiler-free and to be firm in that sentiment, there will be no plot discussion of the goings-on of this Avengers concluding chapter. Frankly, there is too much to say about what the filmmakers achieved, how the actors and actresses outdid themselves on every front possible, the technical marvel that is the film itself and even how the element of humor is intertwined through some thickly layered emotional turmoil that will have some of you completely and utterly ugly crying at a few points throughout Endgame.
Sure, Cap (Chris Evans) may be “The First Avenger,” as the subtitle of the character’s first film informs, but you would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t believe that The Avengers truly started and is anchored with Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.). After all, it was Tony Stark’s voice in that stunning Avengers: Endgame trailer who truly put the narrative in place for what audiences can expect from the fourth Avengers film (where they clearly saved the best for last). He was hoping for “one last surprise” and if you track the emotional pull of the characters in this universe, the member of the Avengers Initiative who seemed to make all the right moves (except for one really big bad move … (clears throat) Ultron!) and is many ways the heart of this superhero collective, it is Stark. He sure gets his due in Endgame. It is through his foresight, actions and final film character arc that our last film in a beloved 22 movie series has its scientific soothsayer and conscious.
Ever the ensemble, Downey is not alone in the ability to shine. Rarely has a massive cast in a film been better managed and utilized than what the Russos have achieved with their cinematic clan. It would have been easy, after the success and power presented in her first film, from earlier this year, to have Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) have an overreaching arc and responsibility. She is ever present in Endgame, sure, but her “most powerful hero in the universe” is used as sparingly and as smartly as everyone else. Someone who is a delight to see back (after an absence in Infinity War) is Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye. In fact, the film commences with him and the script turned in by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have found a priceless way to catapult him and all of us watching this masterpiece into the journey that finds all of our heroes doing “whatever it takes” to avenge the losses experienced in Infinity War.
It is a stroke of storytelling genius that the main five who started this journey in The Avengers—Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Captain America (Chris Evens), Hawkeye (Renner), Iron Man (Downey) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) are our survivors of that Thanos snap. We have come full circle and that is not by accident. After all the world building that occurred over the years, when you get down to it and everything is on the line, it is those who first embraced the notion of coming together for something bigger than any one soul, who are charged with saving us at our most vulnerable and vapid point. As is the case with so many things in live, it all starts with a good base. From there, you can go anywhere, do anything and accomplish greatness.
That is something that all those at Marvel Studios have known since the beginning. That is something that the talented folks at DC are just beginning to comprehend about Marvel’s success as they have finally found box office and critical joy with the trifecta of Shazam!, Aquaman and Wonder Woman. Story matters. Characters matter. The plot, the villains and everything in between will all sort itself out when it is established that they all exist to service the story.
The art of storytelling is something that Marvel has excelled at from the get-go and that is why their films have had success beyond the comic book nerds who flock to anything that is offered up from that milieu. That is why Black Panther can win Academy Awards when a decade ago, it was a pleasant surprise when Heath Ledger won Best Supporting Actor for a role in a comic book movie. At the end of the day, people will identify with rich characters who move them on a visceral level as they operate within a story framework that invites, compels and casts its spell over audiences who also have become more astute than at any other time during the history of storytelling. Bringing all of that into the pot and making it a cinematic stew is the most challenging of endeavors, much less a pot that has been building, ever so intently, over a decade.
Cannot say enough how astonishing it is what Marvel, the Russos and everyone who has ever had even the slightest input into the making of these movies have done. This model for Marvel and their triumphant tales will be studied outside of the world of cinema arts even. Everything they stand for, encourage and empower their artists and employees (for lack of a better word) is the gold, er, platinum, er, titanium standard for how to succeed in any undertaking.
Avengers: Endgame will be satisfying on so many levels for those who have been on this journey since its inception as well as those of you who have managed to saunter in to this movie going experience without having seen any or simply a few of the previous chapters. That says so much about the tale-telling genius of the Russo brothers, and of course those producers (like Marvel head Kevin Feige) of the various films in this series. Sure, the viewer will get “more” out of the experience having been there all along, but Endgame still adheres to that unspoken sequel rule that a film may be enjoyed without having seen anything that came prior.
Most importantly, it has elevated the franchise conclusion effort to a level that I believe few will ever be able to match.
Take note world builders, you have been put on notice. Endgame is not only the end of the Avengers series, but it likely is the last time in our lifetime (never have I hoped more that I was wrong for our entertainment’s sake!) that so many different moving parts will come together and craft something so beautiful, bodacious and bonafide in its worthiness of the too often used moniker of “instant classic.”
Grade: A